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Sick of the Oxbridge elite running Westminster? Ever wished you could play the part of Prime Minister and pick the politicians that most closely represent your views? Well now you can. Fantasy Frontbench (www.fantasyfrontbench.com) lets you directly compare politicians. Create your ‘fantasy’ cabinet of 22 ministers – sorting and selecting them by gender, education, age and experience, as well as how they have voted in Parliament on 75 key policy issues ranging from EU integration and NHS reform to Trident and same-sex marriage. Once you’re done, see how your frontbench statistically breaks down then share and debate it with friends and family.

Guido has gone for a dramatic change in the front bench line-up of a 7-party coalition, headed by Douglas Carswell as PM, to transition the nation towards becoming the world’s first iDemocracy. Boris would be Deputy PM just to cheer up the country, Farage goes to the Foreign Office to be in charge of their excellent wine cellar and the Brexit. Similarly Alex Salmond would be Scottish Secretary and Leanne Wood as Welsh Secretary. Their national exits from English taxpayer subsidies to be their policy priority.

Labour would have one member of the Cabinet, ex-para Dan Jarvis to Northern Ireland to take charge of negotiations with ex-provo Martin McGuinness. Priti Patel will go to the Home Office to oversee the return of capital punishment for paedophile kiddie killers. LibDem John Hemmings to Justice to open up the secret courts. Michael Gove to the MoD to oversee a more realpolitik approach to defence policy in the Middle East in particular. Sajid Javid to the Exchequer with Steve Baker as chief secretary with responsibility for monetary reform.

Ex-nurse Nadine Dorries to take charge of the NHS and become Minister for Women. Jacob Rees Mogg to Education, parliamentarian par excellence Alec Shelbrooke to be Leader of the House. Liam Fox to wind down the DfID before it is merged into the MoD. Owen Patterson back to DECC and my old friend Tim Aker to Transport. Lord Maude to oversee the slimming down of BIS following a 99% reduction in the departmental budget. Following an admittedly shoddy backroom deal the newly enobled Lord Al Murray will go to Culture. Click here to see Guido’s Fantasy Frontbench in its entirety.

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Dale Vince, Ecotricity founder, said:

“Over the last few years we’ve watched as David Cameron’s pre-election pledge to run ‘the greenest government ever’ has slowly but surely unraveled.

“Mr. Cameron has morphed from hugging huskies to claiming we had to ‘cut the green crap’ and finally saying he’ll end onshore wind energy if re-elected: something one of his own senior MPs described as ‘blind unreasoning hostility’. I think that sums it up well.”

The cross-party consensus on renewable energy and climate change is over; David Cameron has broken this, along with his promise. In the same week that the president of the World Bank has said we need to scrap fossil fuel subsidies to halt global warming, the Tory manifesto has pledged to continue the most generous tax regime in the world for fracking and “halt the spread of onshore wind”.

“It’s a dangerous move and an existential threat – for our climate and our country.”

Former political spin-doctor and pub quiz enthusiast Damian McBride takes you through the runners for the post of Deputy Prime Minister with the latest odds from Paddy Power.

If you think the outcome of the election is difficult to call, just take a look at Paddy’s superb new market on the identity of the next Deputy Prime Minister. As Sherlock Holmes said in The Red-Headed League, “it is quite a three pipe problem, and I beg that you won’t speak to me for fifty minutes.” Well, pipe at the ready, let me try and solve the case a bit quicker than that.

Favourite in the betting is ‘no-one’ at 7/4, reflecting the fact that there’s no genuine need – either constitutional or practical – for the PM to appoint a deputy. That said, we’ve had a Deputy PM in place during 27 of the last 36 years, so whether we’ve got a minority government, a majority or a coalition, there’s a decent chance the modern tradition will continue. So my fellow detectives, who are the candidates?

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The House of Lords Economic Affairs Committee declared this week that the government has yet to prove that HS2 is a worthwhile project.

This is ground already well-trodden by the Institute of Economic Affairs. The think tank contends that the real cost of HS2 has been grossly underestimated – and that there are much better and more cost effective ways of improving Britain`s creaking transport systems. Watch this short film “Going Nowhere – Fast” here.

George Osborne may have tinkered with beer and alcohol duties in this week’s budget – but he continued to increase duty on tobacco. This approach will only serve to boost the black market for tobacco, says the Institute of Economic […]